Product Reviews

After only a couple of years, the tape-based HDV format is beginning to hum its swansong - it was, after all, a transitional move between DV and high definition. Sony is still releasing HDV products, though, and the HDR-HC9E is the latest in a line of increasingly consumer-orientated cameras.

The HDR-HC9E is based around the same 1/2.9in CMOS as its direct predecessor, the HDR-HC7E. This sports 3.2-megapixels, although only 2.3-megapixels are used when shooting video; the remainder only come into play with still images. Sony throws in a dose of interpolation, too, to make 6.1-megapixel photos at 2,848 x 2,136. However, the latest Sony AVCHD camcorders, such as the HDR-SR12, come with noise-reducing Exmor CMOS technology, and the HDR-HC9E just uses ClearVid.

It's not exactly packed with professional features, either. There is an accessory shoe, but it's Sony's proprietary AI version rather than a standard one, limiting you to Sony peripherals. Instead of a lens ring, a little wheel nearby is provided for manual focusing, although this is a pretty good substitute. At least the tape transport loads from the top, making this a tripod-friendly camcorder; microphone

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and headphone minijacks are also available.

Apart from the backlight compensation and Nightshot mode, the remaining manual controls require a trip to the touchscreen menu. The spot focus and exposure are configured by merely touching a reference point on screen; alternatively, you can vary the shutter from 1/6th to 1/10,000th, and manually set exposure, although there is no indication how the latter relates to iris or video gain - both are rolled into one. Sony has also thrown in some online help for consumers, as is the current trend. The Guides provide more information as to what scene modes and other settings actually do, so you might be more inclined to use them.

Where the HDR-HC9E does deliver the goods is video quality in fully automatic shooting mode. In full sunny conditions, colours are vibrant and balanced, and the image sharp; the high performance continues under artificial illumination, although a bluish grain ruins the picture in the lowest light.

For the time being, HDV still has a few years left in the more serious end of market, as its compression is less severe than current AVCHD models. But the HDR-HC9E sits between two target areas. It can't compete with the pocketability of other mini cameras like the Panasonic HDC-SD9. And it lacks the enthusiast features and top-end image quality of the Canon HV20 or its successor, the HV30. Either way, the Sony falls a little short of the competition.